Handcuffed
by mysticwolfguardian
Summary: Shikamaru and Ino (now seventeen) get assigned to a mission to test out a new product. It requires them to be together. Twenty-four seven. Awkward moments galore. ShikaIno
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Been a long while since I wrote so I'm basically a noobie all over again. Damn that writer's block :X. Well, I'm back, for good I hope. Enjoy my newest fic, Handcuffed. A story dedicated to my newest obsession, ShikaIno pairings XD(and definitely JiraiyaTsunade ;;)

_Italics within the story are thoughts or strong implications, depending on use in context. In plain English, most of the italics you see are the characters' thoughts._

**Handcuffed**

_Chapter 1._ Prologue: Former Team Ten's Reunion

"Are you backing out again!" exclaimed a man with light blonde hair swept up in a ponytail. He leaned against the wall his eyes dancing mirthfully.

"No, in truth, I find it too troublesome." A man sitting by a window on the far side of the room replied and smirked. He had a high spiked pony tail and dark black hair. He stared lazily out the window and at the evening sky, watching the stars and moon peek out over Konoha.

The last member inside the room was a well-rounded man with a soft expression and a seemingly kind face with a mass of shocking red hair. While sitting at the table in the middle of the room, he watched at the other two men. He chuckled softly and shook his head while looking on passively.

"Don't you wish to see your Shikamaru lead a life happily married? Or at least help him along the way with a relationship?" the blonde said nonchalantly.

"Not really. I rather let him decide for himself. He's at an age where he's looking for the 'right' things in a life, like where to set his priorities. Where he belongs in this world, his goals, dreams, desires, wishes, and on top of all that he's a full fledge jounin now. He was admitted as a jounin soon after the recent chuunin exam we witnessed. Because he regulated and refereed the genins' matches extremely well, the Fifth decided to bring him up to the next rank. Knowing him, especially as his father, he most likely wants to watch clouds all day for the time-being before he gets assigned to missions. Even I'm surprised he became a jounin at such a premature age." Nara Shikato said as he fingered his chin thoughtfully.

"Geez. What happened to the Shikato I first teamed up with as a genin? Where's your ambition, your unpredictable personality?" Yamanaka Inoshi sighed softly all the while his eyes twinkling with playfulness.

"Inoshi, I have a wife and a teenage son already. Times are different now and I'm not that same headstrong and foolish genin I was, anymore. It's about time we all had settled down." the dark haired chuckled as he reminisced, yet his chuckled was twinged with sadness.

"That doesn't sound too convincing, does it? Akimichi." Inoshi asked while looking to Akimichi Choumaru.

Choumaru grinned.

"Well, I'll let you two decide and I rather not interfere. Just don't add my Chouji into this." He smirked. "He'd die if he was restrained like that." Shikato chuckled at that comment.

"Well Inoshi why did you propose this anyway? We rarely have such a formal reunion." Choumaru asked, sitting forward in his chair. Shikato turned his head and faced Inoshi.

Inoshi rubbed his neck gingerly, a light blush crept up his face. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, Ino is reaching womanhood pretty soon. She's surrounded by flocks of eligible ninjas, but she still pines for Uchiha Sasuke. She barely eats, sleeps, or talks as much anymore. I'm worried for her sake. She's all-smiles and happy when anyone asks how she's doing and how she is or anything about her. But once she enters her room, I can hear it, her muffled sighs and sobs." Inoshi looked away and rubbed at his temples wearily. Choumaru and Shikato looked on at their best friend, both very distressed.

"Inoshi, if that was the case you should've told us outright. You didn't need to have gone in circles. And since that is the case, don't worry. We'll try our best to help." Shikato said and sat down at the table next to Choumaru and sipped at a cup of tea.

"Shikato, are you serious? I thought you.." Inoshi wide-eyed walked over to them and sat down too.

"Yes, I am serious. It's been a while since we did something like this..and it really has been a while. Plus, it's one of those inevitable problems. And since I've already made up my mind, it's about time to do a little...shall we say, planning." Shikato smiled boyishly and the trio huddled together. After a long while of discussing, Shikato's wife broke up their discussion.

"Shikato!" she called up the stairs. "Get down here right now, and bring Inoshi and Choumaru with you. It's time for dinner!"

"Hai hai! Just give us one more min-"

"Don't you one more minute me, Nara Shikato. You need to remember tomorrow Shikamaru is coming back from his latest mission and you need to meet him. It's been a few months since we saw our only son! Hurry up and come down."

"Hai hai!" he called down, wincing at her tone. Choumaru and Inoshi grinned at each other.

"We know your pain, friend, we know your pain." Choumaru whispered to Shikato as they headed downstairs.

* * *

A seventeen year old with dark hair in a high-spiked ponytail stood in front of Konoha's gates. He stuffed his hands inside his pockets, and scanned the area lazily with his dark eyes. The wind played with his hair delicately as he walked passed the gates. _Haven't been here for months now. Glad nothing much changed. It would've been troublesome to get lost in my own village,_ he thought. He strolled around town, remembering fondly of all the memories he had there. 

"Oy!Shikamaru? Nara Shikamaru?" cried a very loud and brightly clad ninja with bright yellow hair to boot. He walked up to Shikamaru adjusting his head protector. "Eh? It's really you! Just got back from your mission?"

"Hey, Naruto. Yeah, I was heading over to my house. Right after I came back from my long as hell mission I need to head home right away, barely taking a moment to relax." Shikamaru sighed and looked at the sky wistfully. '_Hmm..cloudless..feels like a bad omen.'_ He shook his head, suddenly filled with worry. "Hey Naruto, sorry but we'll catch up on things later. I think my dad has something important to tell me." He said and jogged off with haste, leaving Naruto staring at him with his own hands threaded behind his head.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino, seventeen, walked quickly towards Shikamaru's house. '_Geez, why does dad want to meet me there. It's been a while since I've last seen Shikamaru. The last time was months ago, the day he was to leave for his mission. Today...is the day he comes back. Ahh, I hope I don't meet up with him. It's going to be awkward.'_ she thought. '_It's been so long already..years. Years since I've been admitted to Team Ten. Years since I've known Shikamaru and Chouji. Years since I've last seen Sasuke. Sasuke.' _She clenched her fists and shook him out of her mind. Before she knew it, the Nara residence was within eyeshot. She quickened her pace her concentration trained on the name plate with the kanji letters Nara inscribed onto it. 

**-Crash-**

Ino winced at the sudden impact and sharp throbbing pain at her right ankle. She was sitting on the street right outside the Nara residence. She rubbed her ankle gingerly then realization dawned on her. Who had she crashed into? The pair of blue sandaled feet that had stood in front of her had just unsteadily taken a few steps back. She looked up just in time to catch a pair of analytical deep dark eyes widening. A soft gasp escaped her lips.

* * *

Shikamaru was staring at the sky as he power-walked towards his house. '_I wonder what was so urgent that couldn't wait till tonight to discuss. It feels weird to be back. Even though the surroundings haven't changed something just feels..different. It's probably me that changed. After all god knows how many people in this village besides my family that recognizes me. For one day, I think I've had enough '_Oy!Shikamaru? Nara Shikamaru?_'s and '_Eh? It's really you! Just got back from your mission?'s. _Had more than enough of those on the walk here. Suddenly I'm feeling pretty forgotten. Troublesome.'_

"Hmm..." he sighed. He really didn't want to bump into a particular someone just yet. It'll feel awkward, after all since so many didn't recognize him, why would she of all people.

As the pensive teen walked on, he didn't see the purple clad girl aiming for the same destination as him. Shikamaru was nearing his house.

**-Crash-**

'_What the...'_ he thought and was knocked backwards. He faltered a bit, alarmed at being caught off guard and looked down to see who he collided with. His eyes widened alarmingly as he stared into a pair of drained, 'festering', blue eyes. He was in disbelief and a bit numb at the sight of her. As he stared at her, he finally came to his senses. '_Just my luck. Bumping into her of all the people..and in such a place too. Oh boy, this is going to take a while.'_

* * *

The two stared at each other dumbfounded. Ino was the first one to come to her senses and tried to get up. Shikamaru quickly grabbed her arm to help her up, but he almost let go of her as if he touched electricity. '_What the hell, Shikamaru. Relax. She's just Ino. Ino.'_ he thought, scolding himself mentally. 

"Sh-Shikamaru? Is it really you?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Y-Yeah, completed my mission. Ah, sorry about your ankle. I'll bring you inside and I'll take a look at it there."

"It'll be okay soon. By the way, Congratulations on your mission." she smiled at him warmly. He grunted softly in reply.

"By the way, what brings you here?"

"My dad called me here urgently for some reason."

"Oh, you too?" he asked.

"Yup."

Then there was silence. Awkward silence. He supported her into his house. As they entered he looked at the shoes inside. Only two pairs, and male styles at that. '_Mom's probably out.'_ he observed. He slipped out of his sandals, and held Ino's arms as she slipped out of hers too.

"Dad? I'm back!" he cried out.

"Shika? I'm up here!" a distant muffled voice called out.

Shikamaru and Ino headed steadily up the stairs, she was leaning on him heavily, the stairway a bit narrow. '_Geez. Why is he upstairs? Troublesome.'_ He was only too painfully aware of the fact that a woman was pressed up against him. '_Just how many more steps until the top.' _he thought, a bit distracted.

Ino, too, was very aware of Shikamaru and how close they were to each other. Close didn't cut it. More like glued on to him. '_Thank god it is dark in this stairway.'_ she felt her face heat up.

Finally they reached to top and Shikamaru walked into the room. Shikaku was sitting at the table and Ino's father was sitting across from him. When they had entered they both turned around and looked at them. Inoshi raised his eyebrow at Shikato, who in turn shrugged. Shikamaru looked at his father and sighed.

"Eh, don't start getting any ideas. She twisted her ankle on the way here. I'm just helping her." he said as he helped her to a seat.

Shikato chuckled at his son. He walked up to Shikamaru and looked at him proudly.

"About time you came home, Shikamaru." he patted his son on the shoulder. "Good work, good work."

"A bit too troublesome if you ask me." he smirked.

"Well lets get on to business. Inoshi and I called both of you here for a top-secret mission assigned to you and Ino only, by the Fifth." Shikaku said as he walked over to his seat at the table and sat down. Ino looked at her father, then at Shikato, then back at her father.

"A mission to test something out for our village. Almost like guinea pigs, but assuming a much more critical role." Inoshi added, with a faint trace of a smile on his lips.

Shikamaru looked skeptical. '_Another one? The Fifth is ruthless when it comes to missions.'_ he thought.

Shikato nodded and took out a glittering item from behind him. Shikamaru felt his face drain. Ino screamed.

Shikato was holding handcuffs.

A/N: Phewwww, I'm finally done with this lengthy prologue...er chapter. Please review ! Took me a while to get my muse back, kekek, now that it has awaked again evil smile. I hope I kept the characters as close to their personalities in the series . Gomen if I distorted it and chopped it up in the blender for you guys. I tried T T. Okok, I hope you enjoyed this chappie.

I know you want to click that small button down there. That yummy little review button..;)

Edit: Ahh, sorry sorry if I messed up the parents' names before. Got them fixed! Thanks for telling me ; out of desperation I had to make 'em up. :P


	2. A Month and a little more

**A/N:** Much appreciated reviews! Yay! And thanks for telling me about the name mistakes, guys! Without further ado, here goes.

Disclaimer: Ahg, I forgot disclaimer in previous chapter.** This speaks for both chapters, and the whole story for that matter. **This is **I don't own anything **except the idea and my story. I don't own the characters, the handcuffs, the butterflies, anything.

Dedication: Mary, Nancy, Celia, and to each and everyone of my reviewers so far. moonlightpath, mlcxo, Orinos, aki-child, Tench-Sama, Mandalen, Shika-Kun, rikkufx, Miss Ino. All of you kick-ass ;P bows down

**Handcuffed**

'_Chapter 2._ **A month and a little more...**'

Light from the setting sun filtered into the room. Kids outside laughing and screaming broke the shocked silence.

"Top..Top..T..T..Top secret?" Ino managed weakly. Her knuckles donned a glaring white color as she clenched the edge of her seat tightly.

"Yes, top secret." Inoshi nodded.

Shikamaru blinked. '_What..the'_

"What..?" Shikamaru questioned repeating his own thoughts, his voice strangely high. Shikato gave him a knowing smile.

"You two will be, as I said before, 'guinea pigs' for this particular mission. It's the first of it's kind, this mission. That's why you two are so important. Tonight, rest up and enjoy things you normally can't enjoy as well when restrained. Tomorrow, both of you will need to speak with the Fifth. She wanted to explain more about this mission for you two." Inoshi said as he headed for the door. Ino slowly got up and walked out after her father, a look of shock frozen on her face.

Shikamaru stood there. He looked at his father. He sat down at the table still staring at his father.

"Shikamaru. I know that once you came back you wanted a good rest, but things can't always go your way. Yes, it may be awkward since both of you are soon going to be adults. I understand to be chained like that together is bothersome but take it as a form of training. Just another obstacle you have to overcome. Think of it as..as..playing a game of Shôgi, always required to think of something creative to get yourself out of a sticky situation, doesn't necessarily have to be strategic. You'll have to overcome every obstacle before you can..ah.._checkmate_ the other." Shikato said as he walked over and sat down across from Shikamaru.

"Alright, alright. Not as if I had a choice, since it's another one of those missions the 5th assigned." Shikamaru sighed. '_Shôgi? Sticky situation? Creative? Strategic? Checkmate? This is getting more complicated..trust the 5th to assign such weird missions._' he rolled his eyes, his eyebrows dipped in frustration.

"Well! Seem's like your mother is home. Let's go greet her. You don't know how worried your mother was about you." he chuckled, his voice renewed with vigor.

Ino shielded her eyes from the bright glare from the sun as she walked towards the Hokage's office, near all the Hokage's monument. People waved to her as she walked by, she automatically smiled at them. Birds were chirping, kids were laughing, everything was practically singing with joy, and she couldn't feel worse. She sighed and quickened her pace. These few years, not hearing even once, about Sasuke really tore her apart. Sure he's been gone for at least four, five years now, but for some reason, she still couldn't let go. He's been politely nice to her a few times before he disappeared and really kind towards her when they first entered the Academy, and she has had unrequited love for him ever since then, but somehow no matter how many guys ask her out she couldn't shake off that image of Sasuke she got. He was after all her first love, or so she thought.

Before she knew it, she was only about 30 feet from the monument. It towered over everything else. She could see someone standing near there idly staring skyward. As she neared she saw it was Shikamaru. He was back to his usual attire, deep green Jounin vest, black bodysuit underneath, a bit of the fishnet creeping out beneath the wrists and ankles. His earrings had changed from small hoops to studs. His hair was still in his trademark ponytail but a bit of hair poked out from the back. He had grown to be physically stronger, anyone could see that by just looking at him. Taller, stronger, sturdier yet his laziness had grown too. As she walked towards him she thought of the Shikamaru now, compared to the Shikamaru she used to know and gave a small giggle. She walked over to him and he looked at her as some unexplainable expression crossed his face. She blinked wondering what she just saw and waved at him while smiling, genuinely.

* * *

Shikamaru slouched over and leaned against the wall staring at the sky. '_Seems like Ino still takes forever to get ready.._' he thought, his mind wandering. Sure he knew once he got back he would get another mission, but he never knew it was going to be so fast. Sure he knew he was going to have a hard time being a jounin, but that was a given anyway. Sure he knew she was only Ino, just three years older than the one he was used to, but he couldn't get that weird feeling off his chest. Of course they had said 'Hi' and seen each other every once in a while after they each became chuunins and went their 'separate ways' even though Team 10 technically still exists. Then again, saying 'Hi' once in a while didn't really keep them as close friends, not like when they were teammates. After they went their separate ways, one out of three of those years, he barely saw her. After all, his latest mission took up the majority of that same year. 

"A few months." he muttered. "Some few months those were. It was almost a year." he sighed and stared at a cloud that looked suspiciously like his father's face, _that_ surely brought him back to the task at hand.

Before he knew it, a girl was walking towards him. He studied her profile. Tall, lean, bright-blue-eyed, light-haired, but despite all the light seeming to radiate off her, she looked a bit hollow, deflated in a way. But besides that, her physique up to par, if not above par. He smiled at the thought of the much younger Ino he used to know. Her loudness, her scolds, and the way she had obsessed over Sasuke. '_Sasuke..wonder what happened to him.'_ he pondered. Then suddenly out of nowhere, as she neared, Ino caught his eyes and gave him a bright warm smile. He looked at the expression on her face. It changed so quickly from looking spaced out and empty to warm and bright. He caught himself studying her a little too long and quickly looked away and gave her a small offhandedly waving gesture.

"Shika! Sorry it took me a while, I had to..." Ino said, a little breathless.

"Don't worry about it. It gave me time to look at clouds." he said nonchalantly a ghost of a smirk crossed his lips and he started to head up the stone steps. Ino looked at him, feeling something odd stir inside her chest. She quickly walked up the steps, the whole time behind Shikamaru and staring at his broad back.

They stood side by side and Shikamaru rapped his knuckled against the hard wooden door. A muffled 'Come in' was heard from the other side. Shikamaru turned the knob and stepped aside to let Ino enter. Ino swallowed and entered the brightly lit room to see the 5th Hokage, Tsunade, sitting at her desk, staring at them with a strange smile on her face. She gestured for them to sit down. They sat down.

"Shikamaru. Glad you're back from your mission. Congratulations on it's completion."

"Thank you."

"As you both know, I have assigned a mission that is highly important and top-secret. You need to be kept together by these manacles twenty-four-seven. You are allowed to try and break free, as it is part of the testing. We want to see if this new product is capable of restraining high-class criminals who are very dangerous. In this future, if the product succeeds, on the left side, the criminal would have his left wrist locked to it, and on the right side, the Konoha ninja would have his or her right wrist locked to it. It's infinitely charged with chakra, and there is no way for them to unlock unless by my command. The main goal of this mission is to spend a month and a little more, to see how much the manacles can endure. To see if they can successfully restrain a pair of people together." Tsunade said, her arms crossed at her chest. She looked at Shikamaru and Ino intently.

"So, we're to test out if the manacles can endure different levels and types of pressure within a month and a little more. What happens if anyone asks why we are linked together, we can't tell them about this since its supposedly top secret." Shikamaru asked, skeptical.

"Just say make up something. Pretend that it's some silly dare that went too far. As your fathers had probably told you both, you guys are the first to try this out. The first of this kind of mission." Tsunade said, shifting her hands from it's crossed position to acting as a support for her chin. She looked briefly at Shizune, who was standing to the side, every bit worried for Shikamaru and Ino. Shizune nodded curtly and left the room.

"And..how are we supposed to...do everything else?" Ino asked, hesitant.

"Well, for living conditions we will supply both of you with an apartment in one of the buildings. It'll be near this area, so you won't have to travel far if you need to contact me. Also, if the manacles break or fracture in any way, come contact me immediately. If you can't find me, go find Shizune. If both of us are unavailable, keep the manacles safe and report to your Team 10's Asuma sensei what had happened and how it broke, this will be very valuable information. He will know about this. Take this as training. Also you'll need to train while you're still cuffed together. And as for anything else, both of you are very resourceful so find a way to solve it. Oh, two more thing before I bound you guys together. One, when either of you say 'expand', the chain between the two cuffs with expand to about 10 feet, but it will be extremely heavy, so you two will be 10 feet further apart, but immobile. After about 20 minutes or so it will automatically contract back to it's normal length, whether you want it to or not. The second thing is that, I know both of you wont do such things, but it's required to tell you this. You have to stay reasonable. Both of you are friends and teammates still, and so don't disrespect the other. When one of you feel uncomfortable or offended then talk it out before you come to report it. If so then I will need to replace one of you in the mission, but I know for one that you two are above that." she said looking at them sternly for a brief moment, Shikmaru sat still and Ino shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Shizune came and brought back the same glittering silver manacle, but now it was shimmering slightly with an electric blue hue.

Shikamaru stared at it. '_Just what have I gotten myself into.._' he thought as he fixed his eyes on it.

Even though both of them were prepared for this mission, they still weren't comfortable with the idea that the other would be closer to them than anyone else had ever been. After all there would literally be no privacy. That thought alone was already a bit over the line.

Tsunade walked over with the glittering item and stepped back a second to analyze them. She closed one eye and used the other to look at them from a different angle. She walked over to Shikamaru and positioned him on the left instead of the right.

"You're more dominant on your right hand right?" she asked. He nodded, half of his face scrunched up to in dubious expression. She smiled at him, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "You will play the role of the dangerous outlawed nin."

Then she walked over to Ino. She tensed up a bit, but the Hokage patted her on the shoulder encouragingly.

"And you, Ino. You are a right handed person also right?" Ino nodded. "You will play the role of the Konoha guard."

Then without a moment's hesitation, she firmly, but carefully, grabbed Shikamaru's left wrist, and Ino's right wrist and snapped on the chakra infused handcuffs.

**-Click-**

"Awww, you guys are so cute! Thanks for agreeing to the mission." Tsunade laughed happily as she briefly hugged both of them, abandoning her previously stern expression. "These kids..." she laughed again as she gave Shizune a knowing smile.

"Alright, you two are free to go wherever you please. You apartment fees and housing will all be paid already each month, but still take good care of the place. Also here are the keys." she said as she handed it to them. She walked over to the window and leaned against it. "Well, good luck guys..and..have fun."

* * *

"So..what should we do now?" Ino asked at she awkwardly walked down the stone steps outside the Main Building. 

"Hm. Do you have something important to do now?" Shikamaru asked as he examined the manacles.

"No..not really." She replied glancing at the manacles that secured them tightly together.

"I want to go see something. The sun is setting soon and it takes a while to get there."

"Oh, let's go then. What are you looking for?" she asked, curious.

"It's a surprise." he laughed and they hurried their pace southward.

They walked on quickly, the sky getting redder and redder, darker and darker. Shikamaru stopped abruptly at a lush green hill, it was not so far from the outskirts of the village. A small calm river was near the bottom of the hill. He walked down halfway a bit and helped her down. Then he sat down and lied down on his back. Ino looked skeptical at first. '_He comes here to watch clouds?'_. Ino, still a bit doubtful, followed suit.

They sat there for a while, the skies getting richer red still. A soft cool breeze was blowing at them. She couldn't relax though. She tried staring at the clouds, but her mind began to wander. '_Don't tell me we're doing this every single day.'_ she thought a bit dismayed. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sound of the swishing grass, the small trickling noise from the stream below, and the small space separating her from Shikamaru. She stole a quick glance at him, he was staring at the clouds, lost in thought. She decided to not interrupt him and looked at the clouds instead. But..that didn't last long. Faces..she could see the clouds moving, almost as if they were forming faces. '_That one looks like Sakura. I think I see Chouji, that one a little bit like Naruto..and that one over there looks like Lee.'_ she smiled at the familiar faces staring back at her. '_That one..it looks like...Sasuke-kun.'_ She looked away quickly, her heart pounding. But it was still no use. All these clouds, everyone of them, suddenly, every single one of them looked like Sasuke. She searched the vast sky for some relief, some relief from the painful ache in her chest. She tried to look for Shikamaru, but she couldn't seem to move, as if she was frozen to the spot at Sasuke's taunting face. She closed her eyes in desperation, but, if anything, it made the situation worse. Once she had closed her eyes, in the darkness, his face was clearly more visible. It was everywhere. She couldn't think of anything but him. His deep dark eyes, his dark hair, his stoic face, his calm posture, his voice..his voice...Before she knew it, she was screaming; trying to block out his voice, crying, sobbing into her knees, her fists were balled up at her side. In an instant, Shikamaru sat up and stared at her.

"Ino! Ino! Get a hold on yourself!" Shikamaru said as she forced Ino off the grassy grounds. She was a mess, she was crying violently and her body was shaking with sobs. The more he tried to calm her the more she couldn't stop herself. In desperation he grabbed a hold of her and hugged her to muffle her sobs. Suddenly, as if brought back to her senses, the crying had stopped, although she was still faintly shaking. Shikamaru released her.

"Ino! Are you okay!" Shikamaru asked, his face full of concern. She quickly wiped her eyes and took an uncertain step backward.

"Shi...Shi..Shika, sorry." She said quickly, her voice still trembling faintly.

"Are you sure!" he asked, unconvinced. "Why did you suddenly start crying? You looked like you were..."

"I..Nevermind, it's nothing..." she trailed off, looking down. She caught sight of his damp clothes, no doubt caused by her. "S-Sorry." she said looking for something to dry it. He grabbed her shoulder.

"Sasuke..." he said softly. She instantly tensed up at his name. She looked out toward to red setting sun, only half of it above the horizon. Her vision had started to blur and her eyes began to sting. Suddenly she felt a painful twisting on her right wrist. She looked down quickly to see Shikamaru in a handstand. The upside down front of his body was facing the setting sun and it lit his face. She looked at him, surprised.

"The world you're seeing isn't the only world there is. Try it, come and see for yourself." he offered, smiling up at her.

Ino felt something bubbling up inside her. Before she knew what she was doing, she could hear her voice, it wasn't sad and trembling anymore. She couldn't stop herself and laughed loudly, it disrupted the formerly uncomfortable silence and sounded wonderfully right to her ears. She turned around to face the opposite direction of the sun and went on a handstand. At first everything was spinning and dizzy, her handcuffs were biting at her wrist, and she was unstable and wobbly at first, but soon she got used to it. Her vision adjusted and she was in awe. The sun and clouds was her floor, the grass was the sky. She stared at the clouds, and sure enough she couldn't see _his_ face anymore, instead it looked inviting and puffy. She looked at the setting sun and her eyes sparkled. Her face lit up with a smile, and for once, she didn't feel anything but content. Even if it was only for a while, she could forget. The best part was that she wasn't alone in this whole new world. She was with Shikamaru, someone who truly proved he understood her. She took a deep breath of air. They stayed in that position for a while, watching the sun set. Everything became darker and darker, colder and colder. Then slowly, the stars came out and winked down at them. The moon shyly came out and illuminated everything. Ino stared barely able to retain her excitement.

"It's so beautiful!" she cried suddenly, swinging her legs in excitement. _'Uh-oh_'. Ino lost balance and fell forward. She could hear Shikamaru cry out in response, and felt the manacles pinch her skin once again. She had dragged him forward too. She felt her leg kicking something. Quickly she sat up and helped him up.

"Oops, sorry sorry. Sorta got excited staring at the moon and stars from that perspective." she said giving him a big smile and flipped her hand a few times and quickly helped him up.

"You've never tried looking at things from a different angle before?" he asked amused, rubbing his cheek where she kicked him.

"Nope. Never occurred to me." she smiled and smoothed down her tousled hair. He rolled his eyes and smirked at her.

"Next time, warn me before you start bawling your eyes out. And when you do remember to stay upside down like before to clear out your head. Troublesome woman." he said stretching.

Ino felt her right hand automatically lift upward and she stretched too. She could feel heat creeping up the back of her neck as she remembered her sudden outburst from before.

"Ehh? What did you just call me, Nara Shikamaru!" she asked, her voice getting louder and louder by the second.

'_Here it comes.'_ he thought automatically. '_She hasn't changed one bit, that Ino.'_

"And just what are you smirking about, Mr. Everything-is-too-troublesome-for-me. I can't believe I'm stuck with you for a month and a little more..." she continued.

Shikamaru looked skyward at the stars and strolled on towards the marketplace. '_Yep, this woman hasn't changed at all.'_ he thought as he shook his head despite the loud irregular blast of noises deafening his left ear. '_Well, this has been quite a day. Time for dinner.'_ he felt his blood run cold at the thought of dinner.

A/N: Wow, yay another chappie. I think it got a bit OOC in the middle, but I'm managing the best I can. Read and review please! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Seven Shades of Red

A/N: Aww yay! Reviews . Oh god...sorry sorry this was delayed for so long. Had graduation and loads of finals, so I was pretty preoccupied. Hehehh, I'm **planning** to update every Friday (except this time), so check in every once in a while :P (I'm not 100 sure of my ability to squeeze my imagination dry every week in time for the Friday updates..buuut I'll try, but I don't guarantee anything). Man..all of you are so smart, hit the mark completely. Read on and you'll know what I mean.

Disclaimer: Boo-hoo. By the way, I might have messed up the land in the original anime/manga in order to fit my story ;. I'm not that keen on the topography of the ramen stall, and it's surroundings, so please bear with me.

Dedications: All of you guys!

Kikanemi- Haha! Thanks . Honored to write a handcuff fic that stands out there for ya P

Marysmary- Mary-samaaaaaaaaaa! Yay, glad you like it. You better update your Sasuke fic!

-tempts you with Sasuke figurine-

Miss Ino- Yay Another dedicated reviewer! Your wish is my command, and here is your chappie

Lilac- Thanks! Hehehh I have many many evil things in store for our lovely Shika and Ino .

aki-child- Another dedicated reviewer! Hahaha! They'll be chained up pretttyyy long. Prettyyyy long. xP -coughcough-

InuBecka-Heheh, Thanks! Oh, I will :P Got many things brewing in my head just for those two.

Alison- Yeaah! Shikamaru 3. Yep! Sorry if it got confusing. They'll be able to shower, just immobile..when I read your comment, I was like..'Omg...she knows exactly what I'm thinking! Yeaaah!' ; Even though you probably have a pretty darn good idea what's in store for those two..I'm hoping you'll enjoy this chapter.

Hououza- Aww! Thanks! 'Now, I wonder what will happen when they try and eat, will they be forced to feed each other?' hahah another psychic. Seriously, all of my reviewers are too smart xx! Hahah, ahh I wonder if Shika will be able to solve it..-laughs evilly- Thanks for the encouragement!

Shika-Kun- Haha yeah. After a while, and after finding out their real names, kinda bothered me if the parents' names were incorrect. P Guilty conscience. Thanks! More dedicated reviewers! I love you guys!

Akikaze- Yummm apple...shinnnyyy apple . Hahah thanks, I have no clue how I got the handcuffed idea suddenly. P Either way, thanks for reading and reviewing annnnd for adoring my story P.

sierra- Hahaha yay! Sorry for the wait, thanks for reading!

**Alllllrighty, done with dedications P. Time to start to story.** -Evil laugh-

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**Handcuffed**

Chapter 3. Seven Shades of Red and a Moonlit Path

Shikamaru walked on with Ino towards the clutter of food stalls grouped together, the stalls lightings casting light eerie shadows on the pavement. He turned the problem over in his mind, dissatisfied with the same results that kept on popping up.

'_Better not tell her about this yet.._' he thought, grimacing a bit. '_I'll just ignore it, until it becomes...necessary.'_

It wasn't long before they reached the voices, laughter, and drunken shouts. They walked through the stalls looking at what was on the menu along the way. They walked in silence. Ino had quieted down and was looking around the lively area, the tiny clinking noises of the chain between them barely heard. She spotted the familiar Ichiraku Ramen stall and dragged Shikamaru over. He looked at it and stiffened a little, but against better judgement, groaned.

"Come on Shikamaru." Ino said practically dragging him by his feet ignoring his groan. The more he resisted the more she was determined to eat there. Finally after figuring out it's pointless to argue with a more-than-**just**-stubborn woman, Shikamaru relented.

They slipped into the stall and sat at the stools. The chef nodded to him looked at the handcuffs and chuckled to himself heartily. He turned around to prepare two bowls of ramen still chuckling to himself. Ino passed him a pair of chopsticks and took a pair for herself. Shikamaru fiddled around with the chopsticks, twirling it between his slender fingers and looking at anything but the chopsticks.

"Shika? Hey.." Ino said as she peered around his shoulder, his back facing her. She poked him at the side, her eyes had a mischievous gleam and her mouth curled up in a devilish grin. "What're you up to?"

"Nothing." Shikamaru said, placing the chopsticks back onto the counter and stared intently into space.

"Hmm.." she murmured and grinned. The chef turned around and placed two bowls of ramen in front of them and turned back to taking the orders of the other customers seated next to them in the stalls.

"Itadakimasu!" (Along the lines of: Thank you for the food.)

Shikamaru looked at his chopsticks and meal hesitantly and then at Ino. She was busy equipping herself with napkins and a pair of chopsticks. She turned her head to him slightly.

"What's up?" she said as she fussed around her bowl. He shook his head and averted his gaze.

He stole a quick glance at Ino again and began to eat effortlessly. _'What is Ino doing coming here. Doesn't she know how hard it is going to be trying to eat ramen with her right hand chained to me like that? That sly Hokage..she knew this._' he closed his eyes and was pondering over something intently, his chopsticks still poised in midair.

In response he felt an upward tugging pressure on his left wrist. His eyes snapped open in surprise. The chain between the handcuffs was taut and straight in a diagonal angle. The pressure shook unsteadily a little at first, his left arm rising off the table a few inches an then dropping back on the surface of the table again as the chain slackened. A few of the passers-by looked at their direction and pointed. Shikamaru swallowed a mouthful of ramen with difficulty. For a few minutes this upward and downward bobbing motion of his left arm continued. He didn't look at Ino, but instead lifted his left arm lightly from the table so it was closer to Ino's mouth and what he hoped would make it easier for her to navigate between the bowl and her mouth. He continued to chew his meal slowly, ignoring the pointing and the other people in the stall giving them sidelong glances. But still the chain strained and half of his cuff was threatening to sink into the underside of his wrist. He raised his hand higher and moved it closer to Ino, so that his arm was on level with his eyes. After a while it started to ache and he felt his bi- and triceps burn uncomfortably. He glanced at Ino, while chewing on his own ramen, the tips of the chopsticks barely touched her lips. She strained to get it closer, but the food between the chopsticks slipped down instead and fell back into her bowl with a echoing–

**SPLASH**

The broth splattered everywhere on Ino, her front a colorful display of darker purple, her chin dripping with soup, half of her bangs matted to her forehead. She blinked in surprise. Shikamaru almost choked on his ramen going down. He swallowed hard once more and with his free hand held his forehead shaking violently with laughter. He looked away from Ino and laughed uncontrollably silent. He turned slightly and looked at her blinking shocked face suddenly turn 7 different shades of bright, bright red. That brought him to laugh even harder with occasional soft noises as tried to inhale against the spastic laughter.

The cook looked on at the boy laughing and the girl starting to wrinkle her brows in anger, still red as a tomato. '_The poor boy's going to choke soon..and Ino will probably help him along..physically.'_ he shook his head his eyes twinkling as he looked at the handcuffs jingling as Shikamaru shook. '_Youngsters these days...'_

Shikamaru released his forehead and grabbed a tissue. Looked away and took deep breaths of air calming himself. He looked back at Ino and swallowed an impulse to start all over again. He closed his eyes shook his head and counted to five. He opened them and started to swiftly and a bit forcefully remove all the liquid from her hair and chin, he glanced at the stain, and then back up at Ino. He removed his green vest and set it aside to the stool next to him. Traces of the earlier scowl had quickly disappeared from Ino's face as Shikamaru wiped away the broth before, and now she was looking at Shikamaru curiously, excruciatingly aware of the embarrassing stain on her front of all places. '_Oh god..just perfect.' _she thought vehemently. Underneath of Shikamaru's deep green vest was a grey shirt, not unlike the one he used to wear even before his chuunin days. He grabbed the edges which were around his waists and pulled upward over his head and slipped it off with grace, untangling his arms from the short sleeves. Underneath that was another layer, the fishnet layer. His torso was covered with a paper thin black shirt connected to the fishnet, which snaked out and covered his strong yet slender arms and a bit of the sleeves. People paused to stare at the scene. Shikamaru held the t-shirt in his cuffed hand, and with his free hand slipped back into his green vest.

"Wh-"

He cut her off by shoving his shirt at her face then instantly scowling darkly at the people in the food stall staring at him. Ino instinctively pitched backwards and looked at Shikamaru in confusion. Her confusion ebbed away gradually being replaced by a surprised look on her face. She looked at the cook, who was too, staring at them with a half smile playing on his lips. He gestured to the side of the stall where it was empty and pretty secluded. Ino felt herself flush and a burning sensation crawl up from behind her neck. She took the shirt gingerly and slipped off the stool, concentrating hard on the stain.

Shikamaru slid out of his seat and put his hands inside his pockets and walked idly towards that direction dragging Ino behind him. They rounded the corner, all the bright light from the stall suddenly disappeared from their sight. No one was around, and behind the ramen stall about 30 feet away was other stalls. In this 30 feet was grassland and empty except for patches of concrete sporting tables and chairs. Ino and Shikamaru stood in a shadowy area between the ramen stall and another food stall which was closed. Shikamaru turned fully around, his back facing Ino, and looked out over the crowd shuffling past the ramen stall, glacing at them momentarily and moving along. His left arm was twisted backwards, and he glanced back at Ino who was standing there staring at his shirt. He nudged her with his arm and turned around to face her. He spread his arms in attempt to block her from the passers-by and turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, his brows wrinkled in faint traces of irritation.

Ino glanced at the shirt in her hand, the chilling wind blew at them, her wet shirt making her even colder. She hesitated and stole a glance at Shikamaru who still had his eyes closed tight. She turned back to stare at his shirt the texture soft and smooth.

"What's taking so long.." Shikamaru murmured quietly, but in the little alleyway it echoed loudly making Ino jump.

Ino took a determined breath and turned slightly away from Shikamaru. She glanced back at him warily, and his eyes were still faced sideways and closed shut. She proceeded to take off the purple sleeveless top. She glanced at the bandages that wrapped around her abdomen. '_Dry, thank god.'_ and she slipped on Shikamaru's shirt. It covered the bandaged and fell to the top of her head protector which sat at her waists and the sleeves ended up near her elbows. She coughed quietly to signal she was done. Without looking at her he turned around and walked quietly back into the light.

"Idiot.." he muttered as he walked out.

"Wha-" she cried out in protest.

"What made you think you could eat by yourself chained like that?" He sighed irritably.

"S-Stupid! I could've managed if..if.." she faltered lamely. '_You idiot! It's your fault. Since you looked so deep in thought before, I didn't want to bother you anymore. Stupid baka!' _she thought to herself angrily.

"Tch." he snorted.

Ino looked at him indignantly; another rebuke rising up, when Shikamaru dodged out of sight and under the flaps of Ichiraku Ramen. She slipped into the stall, bright light once again flooding her sight. The cook smiled acknowledging their return. Shikamaru sat down and paid for his own and her dinner, now cold, and to Ino's surprise ordered another bowl. As the two previous bowls got taken away, Ino sat in curiosity, wondering what the second bowl's purpose was. Shikamaru looked around the stall, leaning his head into his right arm, his eyes roaming around disinterestedly, his left hand drumming the counter top. She placed her partially soaked shirt on the stool next to her, and the other customers glanced at her again now taking up the new sight of her in Shikamaru's shirt. She avoided their prying eyes and kept her left arm on her lap. Her right arm was lying on the counter top too, the chain that held them a few inches apart, was lying between their wrists silent for once.

After another five minutes, the cook turned around ever-smiling at them and put down the bowl of ramen in front of them and a pair of chopsticks. Ino looked at it a foreboding feeling forming inside her. Shikamaru snapped out of his apathy and looked at the bowl, rolling up all his sleeves. Suddenly a loud orchestral growl was emitted from Ino. She felt the familiar burning sensation crawl up from the back of her neck again.

"Hey." Shikamaru called out to her softly. She turned to look at him, trying to look as calm as possible.

He was holding the pair of chopsticks in his right hand in front of her face. He had a scowl on his face again, his eyes concentrated on her. She looked at the ramen suspended in air by the chopsticks, with confusion. As everything registered in her head, her eyes widened and she leaned away automatically. He thrust the ramen closer the farther she moved away.

"Wa-Wa-Wai-Wait.." she stuttered in surprise.

"It's getting cold." he murmured, his voice unbelievably calmly.

She didn't move and leaned back as far as her stool permitted. Shikamaru sat there looking at her irritation molding its way into his usually passive-aggressive expression. After a few minutes of this he sighed in irritation and grabbed her arm to pull her back closer to the counter and in that moment forced the food into her mouth. She chewed it and swallowed then looked at Shikamaru angrily.

"I don't need you to feed me. I'm not hungry, Shikamaru." she said, right before her stomach growled loudly in protest. He smiled simperingly at her, which she reacted to by opening her mouth to tell him off again. At the moment she opened her mouth, he quickly slipped in another bountiful helping of ramen. He held his left hand over her mouth to make sure she didn't spit it out and watched her chew and swallow it. He released her and looked at her. She glowered at him, embarrassed he had to feed her. '_Ahhh this is so embarrassing.'_ she thought and blushed furiously. She didn't respond to him and kept her mouth shut and looked away from him defiantly.

"Ino, open your mouth now or do you want this to be a battle? Open your mouth or I'm going to force it open." he sighed. She ignored him stubbornly. The flaps of the stall didn't offer any privacy and instead more people filtered in.

"It's getting cold." he said in a softer tone. "Well this leaves me with no choice." he muttered to himself.

He put down the chopsticks and Ino looked away. With both hands, he started to tickle her at her sides. Ino froze on the spot in surprise and bursted out laughing and squirming uncontrollably away. In a flash Shikamaru stole another hefty amount of ramen into her mouth. As she laughed pairs of eyes from inside as well as outside Ichiraku Ramen focused on them. She regained her composure quickly, well aware of the fact that Shikamaru cunningly took her by surprise. He suddenly leaned in very close to her ear.

"Either eat willingly or eat unwillingly." he whispered quietly, and leaned back into his own seat.

She looked at him, defeated and nodded. He gave a big sigh of relief and picked up the chopsticks again.

"Finally.." he muttered and rolled his eyes, the ghost of smile passed his lips.

He faced her fully and fed her slowly, waiting for her to chew and swallow properly and making sure the food wasn't cold or too hot either. She felt her face flush every time the wooden chopsticks grazed her lips, every time he turned his eyes back to her, or maybe it was every time she heard someone laugh and whisper.

"Hey, do you see that couple over there? That boy and Ino! Yes, it is her! See! I told you they were chained together." one woman hissed a few feet from them. Ino tensed up.

"Yeah yeah! I remember once at the flower shop she barely paid attention to the customers, but instead stared out into space. What a rude girl. And now she's so intimate in public too! Has she no shame? I heard even after _that boy_ disappeared she still associated with other boys. And she's part of that 'fan club' supporter thing of his too. What a two-faced girl! Really, she cares more about guys than her training and whatnot--" another said loudly. Ino turned quickly to them, her anger rising.

"I--" she interrupted, but to her own surprise her voice was drowned out by Shikamaru's.

"Will you shut it already!" Shikamaru growled, irritated. "Jeez, you old women nag more than my own mother! At least go somewhere else to do it, do you know how hard it was for me to get her to eat this and now you diverted her attention." he closed his eyes and sighed forcefully.

The two women scowled darkly at Shikamaru and shuffled away. Shikamaru opened his eyes to see Ino smiling to herself. She laughed as she thought of the defensive scowl Shikamaru had on while telling them off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but blushed lightly nonetheless. He put the pair of chopsticks on the bowl, empty of everything but broth. He got up and placed the money on the table and walked out of the bright light quickly.

Ino followed him, always a lagging a few paces behind. They walked silently towards the direction of their new apartment, the moon lighting their path. The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind as they passed. The street they were walking on was glued with shadows of people sitting in food stalls laughing and eating. As they left behind the sounds of the people, he heard a whisper so faint that even the rustling tree leaves almost drowned out.

"Eh..?" he said as he looked back at Ino.

"I said, thank-you." she repeated quietly looking at the ground the whole time.

"What for.." he asked quietly as they continued to walk.

"..Thanks for everything today.." she said softly, hesitating a little as she walked, the darkness hiding her reddening face.

"Mmmm." he grunted softly in response, his voice cracking at the end. Ino stole a glance at him.

'_My voice..just...cracked..why..' _he swallowed hesitantly in disbelief.

'_Stupid, I probably_ _mistook some other noise. That wouldn't happen in a million years with that guy...but..still..was it really..?'_

'_Damn it. Why do I even care or react so much when it concerns this thick-headed woman.' _Shikamaru thought, his right hand covering his mouth. He blushed furiously, half angry with himself, and half of some undescribable emotion.

A/N: Sorry once again that this got dragged out till the first of July ;;. Thanks for waiting for this so patiently! Ahh excuse me for any mistakes I made in grammar and whatnot (I'm rushing right now 'cuz I need to get out of the house for an appointment ;) — so I can't proofread this. Also if I made some mistakes about Shika's gray shirt, please bear with me. Thanks!

-Mi


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